Sobering Look at Racial Disparities in Public Education

A new report released by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights provides new data from all 97,000 of the nation’s public schools and paints a disturbing picture: disparities in access and in discipline exist from pre-school to 12th grade for students of color. Across the board, students of color are less likely to have access to opportunities ranging from quality preschool to advanced placement courses to college counselors. However, they are highly more likely to receive harsher discipline, such as suspensions from school. In fact, even in preschool, black students represent only 18% of enrollment but 42% of suspensions. “Every data point represents a life impacted and a future potentially diverted or derailed,” said Attorney General Eric Holder. View data at state, district and school levels at crdc.ed.gov